APRIL 1, 2005

FIA to be restructured

The FIA is set to undergo major restructuring of how the organisation works. The FIA Senate proposed to an Extraordinary General Assembly of the federation that the statutes be amended to create a system under which a president is elected with his team rather than being elected and then choosing a team after the election. The aim is for candidates to have their "ministers" who will be responsible for individual areas of the sport. The reality of this is that the incumbent is bound to be favoured as he will have a team of experienced people and it makes more sense for the general assembly to elect those with experience.

The proposal did not go through unopposed as there was what appeared to be a concerted attempt to turn the issue into a vote of confidence in Max Mosley. This seems to have failed with a vote of 99 delegates against 27. The new system will thus come into effect for the elections in October. The fact that there was an opposition move and it failed is good news for Max Mosley as it gives the impression that the FIA is a democratic organization, a rather better situation than a unanimous agreement which would have given a very different image.